Bhutanese football player Tshering Dorji, left, celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup football qualifying match between Sri Lanka and Bhutan at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo on March 12, 2015.

“A wonderful, historic moment,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on his Twitter account.

In 2000, Bhutan lost 20-0 to Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifying match. The team, which represents a nation of about 733,000 that sits between India and China, lost all 18 matches it played from 2009 to 2014.

The Asian Football Confederation starts its qualification for the World Cup by pairing up the 12 worst teams for home and away matches, with the winner over the two games advancing. Sri Lanka and Bhutan will meet next week for the second leg.